Top 25 Rankings: October 31, 2013

Wizards of the CoastThursday, October 31, 2013

t's time for another update in the Magic Top 25 Pro Rankings, and this week we focus on the European Grand Prix scene. The last few years have seen huge attendances at Grand Prix, so it was no surprise to see GP Antwerp take the record for the largest Modern event ever held, topping out at 1,601 players.

Five of the Top 25 came to battle—Stanislav Cifka and Martin Juza of the Czech Republic, the French pair of Raphaël Lévy and Jérémy Dezani, and Israel's Shahar Shenhar. It's worth contemplating what a powerhouse list that is. Cifka is a Pro Tour champion from Seattle in 2012. Juza has eighteen Grand Prix Top 8s to his name and was arriving fresh from yet another final at Grand Prix Hong Kong. Raphaël Lévy is in the Hall of Fame. Jérémy Dezani is the defending Pro Tour champion from Dublin, and Shahar Shenhar is the reigning World Champion. That's a lot of firepower.

Of the five, four successfully navigated their way to Day Two, with only Martin Juza missing out. Starting the second day at 7–2, Stanislav Cifka managed an impressive 5–1 on Day Two on his way to 25th place. Shahar Shenhar looked poised for a run at the title, starting the day at 8–1, but he could only manage 3–3 on Day Two, leaving him in 44th place. The other point scorer was Raphaël Lévy, who matched Shenhar's 11–4 record in 51st place. Dezani, having audibled away from his beloved Jund into a Scapeshift deck, couldn't get going on Day Two, and finished well outside the points.

All of that led to Ben Stark retaining his place at the head of the table, with Josh Utter-Leyton and Reid Duke his closest challengers. Shahar maintains his no. 4 rank, while Cifka's 25th place finish in Antwerp takes him ahead of Tom Martell into 8th on the rankings.

Now it's off to Chile, and Grand Prix Santiago, and Standard. Who will be the next to make a move on the Magic Top 25 Pro Rankings? Join us next week to find out.